


Let Me Make You Happy...

by Loser_Lover_89



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier Being Idiots, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Everyone Thinks They're Together, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Richie Tozier, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27015061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loser_Lover_89/pseuds/Loser_Lover_89
Summary: Richie and Eddie are roommates in college...but both are hiding their true feelings. Will they ever get together?
Relationships: Ben Hanscom & Eddie Kaspbrak, Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Audra Phillips, Eddie Kaspbrak & Beverly Marsh, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	Let Me Make You Happy...

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I know, I take a while to upload and I sincerely apologise. Anyone who knows me, knows I have a hard time getting my ideas to make sense. This one just jumped out at me though, I hope you enjoy it!  
> A little angst with some fluff.

“God, Beverly, what is that?” Eddie groaned, making a face as he swallowed the clear liquid from the glass.

“Sambuca, we had it last time.”

“Probably why I don’t remember…” Eddie put the glass back down and pushed it far away from himself. “What was wrong with the shots we were doing?”

“Sour apple? There’s barely any alcohol in them, it’s mostly sugar. That’s where the hangover comes from.” Bev took her shot, swallowing it easily. 

“I’m pretty sure the hangover will be from all the mixing you guys are doing.” Stan said. Of course he was keeping clear of the drinks, he had an exam in the morning.

Since leaving Derry, Eddie had become more adventurous with his lifestyle. He was free of his mother’s smothering grip, free of the fake pills and free to be himself for the first time. He came out to his friends almost as soon as they got settled that first night in the dorms, pleased at the reactions. Looking back, he wasn’t sure why he had been nervous in the first place…they were more his family than his actual family. Of course they loved him unconditionally. Most of them had a feeling anyway – you only had to see Eddie look at Richie to know that wasn’t just friendship.

Speaking of Richie, he was his usual boisterous self. He was enjoying not having the rules his parents had kept him to at home and he loved that they could go out properly…not that being underage in Derry had ever stopped them having the occasional drink. He had also come out to everyone, a couple of weeks after Eddie. Again, there was the love and support of the group as well as the underlying suspicions. Richie was always the more obvious of the two, finding small ways to touch Eddie or to have the smaller boy’s attention on him as often as possible. None of them mentioned this to Eddie or Richie though.

Given their close friendship, the two had decided to share a dorm room. They spent most of their time together anyway, the rest of the time was just an added bonus. Richie hot Eddie to help him with his work and Eddie would force Richie to go out and buy them breakfast.

Eddie felt like he was going crazy though. He had been in love with Richie since before he even knew what love was. Why on earth had he been stupid enough to believe that he could live with Richie without those feelings getting stronger? It seemed like a good idea initially but the cracks were appearing.

~

Back in the present, all of them were on their usual Friday night out. Classes were over, only a couple of them had a Saturday class or an exam to get to. Stan was keeping his head clear, drinking lemonade as he sat beside his new girlfriend Patty, and Bill had a couple of drinks but had now stopped, opting for water instead. He not only had a class tomorrow but a date as well, a drama student named Audra Phillips. Bill was equally excited and nervous, but the others assured him everything would be fine. Ben was keeping a clear head so he could help Bev home, she liked to let loose a little and Ben was always there to take care of her. He had finally told her of his feelings and, thankfully, she reciprocated. The two had been dating for several months now and were sickeningly sweet. Then there was Richie and Eddie – neither were dating anyone, nor were they talking about their painfully obvious feelings for each other, and were instead opting to just flirt whenever they could. This caused groans from the rest of the group as well as the occasional comments that they should “get it over with”.

“Eds!”

“Oh god…what now?”

“Come and dance with me!”

“Are you kidding me? You’re embarrassing! It’s like you don’t even follow the beat of the music!”

Richie wandered over to him and slung an arm around Eddie’s shoulders, pinching his cheek gently before Eddie pushed his hand away.

“Aw, come on Eds. You know you love it and you look so cute when you dance.” Eddie blushed at the comment, ducking his head down in the hope no one else saw. Of course, they did.

“Just go and dance on your own, you’ll get tired soon anyway and we’ll end up heading back.” Richie shrugged and took a shot from the table, swallowing it down quickly. Eddie tried not to stare at the way his throat moved.

“Fine, your loss Eddie baby.” With that, he wandered back to the dancefloor, making wild shapes as he moved. Eddie laughed as he watched before he felt a small jab in his side. 

“What the fuck?” He turned to see Bev glaring at him.

“You should go and dance with him. You know he likes you.”

“No he does not. You’ve been saying this for ages, we’re friends. Nothing more.”

“Sure…because friends constantly fall asleep on each other, sit in each other’s laps or share a bed.”

“That was one time and we were very drunk. Nothing happened and nothing ever will. I’m not his type.”

“You’re exactly his type…but fine, whatever you say.”

~

A while later, Eddie came back from the bathroom to see the others getting ready to leave. Stan and Bill were long gone, Patty with them. Richie was nowhere to be found.

“Hey, where’s our resident Trashmouth gone?” Eddie watched as they shrugged, knowing Richie wandered off sometimes. He almost always turned up before they left, or would be at the dorm without his key and would call Eddie to come and save him. Eddie scanned the bar for him and then his heart stopped.

He spotted Richie but he wasn’t alone. He was leaning against the bar, some shorter brunette guy leaning into him as he laughed at a joke. Eddie was about to go over to tell Richie they were going, hating how he felt when someone else besides the Losers laughed at Richie’s jokes, when it happened. He watched, almost in slow motion, as Richie leaned in and kissed the other guy, who returned the action willingly. Eddie felt as though he couldn’t breathe, his head was spinning as the image burned into his brain.

“Where is h- oh…oh Eddie, I’m sorry.” Bev said quietly, placing a hand on Eddie’s shoulder gently. Eddie shrugged it off and took a step back, tearing his eyes from the scene. 

“Don’t be…he’s a free agent right? We’re not a thing, he can do what he wants. I’m gonna go, I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Eddie didn’t wait for a reply and grabbed his jacket, making his way out of the bar and back to his dorm – their dorm. It was a stupid action really…what if Richie wanted to bring that guy back? No, he wouldn’t do that. Eddie was sure of it. The possibility still hung in the air, taunting Eddie.

He got back and settled on his bed, sticking on some old horror movie he and Richie had started a few days ago. He’d be back soon, laughing about how drunk he was and that he’d kissed that guy and they would finish the film together, Eddie was sure if it. However, it got later and later with no sign of Richie. Eventually Eddie dozed off, his phone falling from his hand as he fell asleep.

~

When he woke, Eddie sat up and looked around the room. No Richie. His bed hadn’t been slept in and his jacket wasn’t slung in it’s usual spot on Eddie’s desk.

Eddie picked up his phone from the floor and checked it - no missed calls and no messages. He dialled Richie’s number, now getting worried. What if something had happened to him? Instead Eddie heard the familiar ringtone (Pony by Ginuwine, of course) in the hall along with a murmur of profanity as Richie tried to unlock the door, probably dropping his key.

Richie walked into the room, slung his jacket down and collapsed on his bed.

“What a night, I barely slept a wink.” Eddie glared at him as he sat up properly, swinging his legs to the floor.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“What?”

“You don’t come home, you don’t call or text, and you act like nothing happened!”

“Jeez, lighten up Eds. So I stayed out, you’re not my mom.”

“Where did you even stay?”

“I went back to that guy’s place…I want to say his name was Jamie…maybe it was John…I don’t know. Whatever. We had a few more drinks and then…I was busy.” That cut Eddie like a knife. Okay, maybe he did like Richie more than he admitted…maybe he wanted to be the one going home with him. Fuck.

“You went to some stranger’s house and slept with them?”

“Yeah, so what? It’s college Eddie. God, why are you being so weird.”

“It’s you being weird. You can’t just do that and not let me know where you are. What if something happened to you?”

“I don’t need to report to you every time I want to get laid, you’re not my boyfriend.”

Eddie stopped dead – hearing that made it all finally hit him with the force of a freight train. He wanted to be Richie’s boyfriend. He wanted to dance with him, go on dates, kiss him…maybe even more. How had he been so blind?

“You’re right.” He said in a small voice. “I’m not. Do whatever you want.” With that he got up and pulled on his shoes before storming out, leaving Richie staring after him in disbelief.

~

Eddie had gone straight to find Bev and they were currently sitting in her dorm room with Ben, as they both tried to calm him down.

“I’ve been so stupid Bev.”

“Yeah, just a little. We’ve known for a while, it just wasn’t up to us to tell you. You needed to figure it out yourself.” Eddie sighed and covered his face with a cushion.

“I need to move out…”

“What? Eddie, that’s a bit extreme…just talk to him.”

“And say what? Richie, I don’t like you seeing other guys because I want to be your guy?” Ben grinned.

“Well, something like that.”

“Be serious Ben. I can’t do that. If he liked me, he would have made a move by now. It’s Richie.”

“Or he would have been too scared of rejection and instead overcompensated by meeting other guys.” Bev said quietly.

Eddie opened his mouth to respond before being cut off by knocking on the door. Bev went to answer it and found Richie standing there. 

“Hey Rich.”

“Hey…” He looked past her to Eddie and pointed. “You…how dare you just act like that and walk out. I’ve been trying to find you for like a half hour.” 

“Not nice is it?”

“Oh don’t start. I owe you nothing, you’re my friend. My best friend, we grew up in same shitty town where we couldn’t be ourselves. Now we can and I’m enjoying that, you’re supposed to be happy for me. Can’t you do that?” Eddie looked up at him.

“No…I can’t.” Richie frowned at him. “Rich…you know I didn’t give a shit when you came out but now…seeing you kissing someone with my own eyes, knowing you stayed with them all night…that killed me.”

“Why would it?”

“Richie, I like you. Maybe I even love you, I don’t know. I don’t want to be just your friend anymore and now that I’ve realised this, I don’t think I’ll ever be okay with seeing you out with someone else. We agreed that being roommates would be fine, as long as we could both handle it. I don’t think I can anymore.” That made Richie step back a little in shock, he hadn’t expected that reaction.

“Eddie…I…” 

“Don’t, please. I’m gonna ask around, see if anyone needs a roommate…maybe I can see if there are any single dorms available. I might need to…um…maybe miss a few group hang outs too, try to get you out of my head. I’m sorry.” He got up and thanked Bev and Ben, making his way past Richie to the door. “I’ll miss seeing you all the time but, for now at least, I need to distance myself and deal with this alone. Maybe, one day, we can be friends again. Bye Rich.” Eddie left before Richie could speak. Richie looked at Ben and Bev in   
shock.

“Did…did that just happen?”

“Richie, I think it’s time you figure out your own feelings and before he leaves. If you want to be with him, go get him. If not, let him go.”

Richie nodded and left, forming a plan in his mind. He couldn’t let this happen.

~

Eddie made his way back to the dorm a little later on. He had spoken with campus housing and they said it could take up to a month to find him somewhere new. Maybe he could crash with one of the other Losers for now instead. He had picked up some packing boxes anyway, figuring he could at least be ready to go when the moment came around.

Eddie opened the door and was hit by a soft glow in the room. He closed the door slowly and looked around – candles, fairy lights, even a few rose petals scattered around the floor. Fuck…he was interrupting Richie with a date, he couldn’t take it. He dumped the boxes on his bed and turned back to the door.

“Eds, wait…please.”

Eddie turned and saw Richie coming from the bathroom. He was holding a small bouquet of red and pink flowers, and was even dressed nicely – jeans and a shirt, buttoned up instead of hanging loose.

“Rich…what is all this?” Eddie asked quietly, gesturing around.

“What you said earlier…did you mean it?”

“Richie…”

“Did you mean it?”

“I meant every word.” Eddie whispered, not trusting his voice.

“Thank god. Eddie…I’ve been holding this in for years, never once thinking there was any chance you could ever feel the same way. You’re everything to me – my best friend, the only person I can always rely on even with all the shit I pull, the one who never judges me…not out loud anyway. I don’t want to just be your friend though. The way I feel around you, I can’t even begin to explain. You make me feel safe and you let me be myself…and I love you. I have since we were thirteen, even carved our names into the kissing bridge.”  
Eddie gazed at Richie, his mouth open slightly as the words started to sink into his brain. Richie loved him back.

“Rich…”

“Don’t leave…please. I know I’ve been an ass and, for the record, I never slept with that guy. I crashed on the sofa because I passed out and I left before he woke up. I just let you think I did. I’m sorry. Don’t find another place to live, stay here. Let’s give this a shot, don’t we deserve a chance?” Richie’s eyes were wide and pleading, fighting the urge to break down and hug Eddie close.

Eddie could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks silently. He hated seeing Richie this broken, it was like physical pain for him. Eddie walked forward slowly and looked at Richie.

“You love me?”

“With all my heart, Eds. Don’t go.” Richie whispered.

Eddie let a small smile cross his face and leaned up to connect their lips gently. He felt a pleasant shiver go through him and reached up to cup Richie’s cheek as he felt Richie kiss him back. It was soft, loving, and everything Eddie had waited for. He pulled away slowly, whispering against his lips.

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, Tozier.”

Richie smiled, his eyes regaining that usual sparkle, and wrapped his arms around Eddie’s waist. He lifted him off the ground and pulled Eddie close, spinning them briefly as Eddie laughed.

“God, you had me worried Spaghetti. I thought I’d lost you.”

“It was a close call…”

“I’m never letting you go again, you realise that. Right?”

“Good. Me either.”

“So…can I call you my boyfriend?” Richie asked sheepishly.

“You seriously need to ask?” Eddie grinned. “Yes, dumbass, I’m your boyfriend.”

“I’m being sweet and you call me a dumbass?”

“Absolutely.”

“God, I love you.”

Eddie kissed him again, the packing boxes now forgotten on his bed. He could speak to campus housing again tomorrow, tell them he’d lost his mind for a moment. For now, being in the arms of the only boy he’d ever loved was all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this!  
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated, and absolutely make this writer's day.


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